The Only Thing He’s Swimming In Is Entitlement

We rent out an apartment on one side of our house. The tenant is a great guy; he’s easy-going and quiet, he pays his rent on time, etc. We have a pool on our side of the property. [Tenant]’s lease agreement states that he’s allowed to use the pool but his guests are not. The reasoning behind this is a liability issue; I don’t want my home liability insurance premiums to skyrocket if anything happens.

A few months ago, [Tenant] had a coworker pitch up who didn’t ask and just assumed that he could bring his young daughter with him to swim. Once the guy and his kid arrived, [Tenant] quickly came to ask for permission for the girl to swim.

Me: “Unfortunately, it’s a liability issue, so I can’t allow that — especially since that kid looks like she’s around six years old. She wouldn’t even be able to stand in the shallow end.”

The kid’s father insisted on speaking with me.

Father: “Come on! Please let her swim. I already promised that she could swim!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I really can’t do that.”

Father: “You b****!” *To his daughter* “This mean lady won’t let you swim. We have to go home.”

Kid: *Whining and starting to cry* “But you promised!”

Sorry, kid. I’m not required to keep to the promises your dad makes.

[Tenant] was very apologetic. He didn’t even know the guy all that well. The guy just pitched up and demanded that his kid be allowed to swim.